Lubricating a vise.

[Jack Stein]

I never used Boeshield but TopCote doesn't get sticky, ever. You spray it on and it dries in seconds, then you can wipe it off or not. I wipe it off my big iron, but on vice screws, pipe clamp screws and so on I just spray it on, no wiping.

Long ago, when I first set up my shop in a wet basement, fighting rust was a constant battle. I tried everything, including dissolving wax in lacquer thinner and painting it on my big iron. I good friend of mine worked for 3M and he said he saw some stuff at the 3M company store in Minnesota that might work. He brought me back several cans and it was like a miracle. Couldn't believe everyone didn't use it. I never found it on sale anywhere. I even contacted someone at 3M and he never heard of it., and eventually, when I ran out, I found TopCote. The cans looked strikingly similar however, and I suspect they are pretty much the same stuff. Here's some photo's of the two:

think the 3M stuff *may* have been better at preventing rust, but not sure. The stuff had a warning not to smoke when using, and it usually gave me a headache after use. Topcote doesn't. I, and Leon recommend it, so give it a try. Wood slides on my iron like leather shoes on wet ice. I consider it a safety issue, more important than blade guards and other hand wringing stuff.

[-MIKE-]

I could write that paragraph about Boeshield. Someone in another thread said it got sticky on them. I'm not going to argue with his experience other than to say I suspect there were other variables involved. I've tried to replicate the results and can't.

Either way, they are both great products. I have no horse in the race. :-)

[J. Clarke]

Just put Boeshield on thick and let it sit for a month.

Normally I spray it on stuff and wipe it off. One day I was cleaning some tools that had gotten rained on, had just sprayed them and something came up. I forgot about them for a while and came back a month or so later and found that they were unexpectedly sticky.

Resprayed and wiped down and they were fine.

Since then I've noticed this happens consistently with heavy coats that don't get wiped off.

Incidentally, when I get a new tool I generally Boeshield it first thing. One time I dropped a Harbor Fright ratchet while I was working on the lawn mower and then couldn't find it. A year and a half later I was digging in a flower bed and there it was, looking like new and working fine. And I'm pretty sure that it wasn't the quality of Harbor Fright's workmanship that kept it that way.

[-MIKE-]

I guess I just would never spray it on thick. It's not how I see the product is to be used. If I need a thicker coat of a lubricant, I'm just not reaching for Boeshield, partly because of its price, but mostly because I see it as an "invisible lube," not a grease. :-)

Now that is a great practice. Mental note taken. Thanks.

[-MIKE-]

As I posted to the other threads, I replicated your results. It definitely leaves a waxy feel behind... duh, it's wax. :-)

[Spalted Walt]

I realize this is an old thread but you mentioned that you dissolved paraffin shavings in mineral spirits. Could you give me the ratio, for say a pint of mineral spirits? How much paraffin shavings would I add to a pint of mineral spirits? A cup? Two cups? Do you heat it any to make the paraffin dissolve?

I would assume an old cheese grater would suffice for shredding the paraffin. Yes?

This intrigues me because I've heard many times over the years that's all Boeshield, Top Cote, Top Saver really is - highly overpriced paraffin & mineral spirits. However, no one I've talked to has ever mixed their own so the ratio has remained a mystery.

[tiredofspam]

I doubt that Boeshield is that.

I just took a bunch of candle wax shaved off with a knife and put it in a jar. Then took a bit of mineral spirits (MS) and let it melt it. It takes a while. No ratio, I did it by feel.

I think butchers wax isn't that far off from this mixture. Or Johnsons paste wax... As someone had mentioned. And I agree. But it was nice making my own.

Do not heat it. It's flamable with the MS. It does make a nice lube. And I might actually try less MS next time to use it for runners on draws.

Gerald Ross was the one describing the mixture that he used. Which I then just tried to make more viscous than his.

For my tablesaw t> >

[G.W. Ross]

Actually I just dumped a handful into a pint bottle about 3/4 full of mineral spirits. I made the shavings with a little freebie--otherwise useless--hand plane. About twice a day I would shake the bottle. When no more wax was visible I added some more. When no more would dissolve I poured some in a Harbor Freight sprayer.. It looks like a rattle can with a screw-off top and a tire type valve on the side of the top. Put a little pressure in it and Bob's your uncle.

I use it on table saw top, vise screws, lathe ways, etc.

By the way, I have another recipe. Dissolve grease lube in lighter fluid and pour it back in the can. It works on bicycle chains, hinges, etc. I call it penetrating grease. The naptha evaporates leaving a grease film. If you don't make it too viscous, it will suck right into the cracks of a hinge and lasts much longer than oil.

[Spalted Walt]

Thanks for replying. I picked up a 16oz cube of Gulf Wax for $2.99 Thursday at a grocery store and will give this a try!

Amazon has the exact same thing but it's more expensive.

searched on Harbor Freight's website for the spray can you described but no joy. Does the one you bought there have a model number on it?

Does it look anything like this?

[Larry Jaques]

I think I tried it once for latex paint (too thick), cleaned it out, and it has been sitting since. NOS in box, made in Taiwan, with nozzle, cap, and instructions. It's a painted aluminum cylinder with machined aluminum top. HF #01102, which is no longer made.

-- Live Simply. Speak Kindly. Care Deeply. Love Generously. -- anon

[Roy]

My experience is a pound a gallon for waterproofing canvas, so a pint would be 2 ounces of wax. This is a thin solution for brushing on. You can obviously make it thinner or thicker. I made up a gallon of the stuff using Coleman fuel, aka white gas, (VERY flammable petrol, Jeff). A less volatile solvent would be a lot safer.

Johnson's Wax uses toluene and/or xylene for a solvent and I've been known to add a little back in if I forget and leave the lid off overnight...or for a week. Toluene, MS, naphtha, turps, etc have low enough volatility that I would consider using them outside with a double boiler. Otherwise, just let it dissolve over 24-48 hours.

Yes, the finer the better if you can keep it dispersed. It tend to clump up again as it starts to dissolve. Plan on it taking overnight, and just give it a shake every time you walk by. Pretend you're making up a fresh solution of shellac.

[Jack]

I have dissolved wax in Lacquer thinner and painted it on my tool tops when my old shop used to get waterlogged. It is NOT the same as Top Cote, doesn't last as long, is no where near as slick, and plainly speaking, wax sucks. I spray all my tops with topcote or equivalent for over 35 years, it's the way to go. Also, I spray a coat on all my vices, screw clamps, C Clamps, pipe/bar clamps, paint spinner and about anything I can think of that would benefit from a long lasting dry lube. Save your wax for sealing end grain when drying raw wood. I buff it off my table tops but not on the other stuff mentioned.